Department for Education

Universities: Housing

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage university accommodation providers to introduce race awareness training for students and staff.

Baroness Barran: The government does not play a role in providing or running student residential accommodation. Universities and private accommodation providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own rent agreements.We encourage accommodation providers to review their policies to ensure they are fair, clear and have the interests of students at heart. There should be no tolerance of any form of racism.If a student thinks their accommodation provider is treating them unfairly, they can raise a complaint under the accommodation codes of practice if the provider is a code member. The codes can be found here: https://www.thesac.org.uk/, https://www.unipol.org.uk/the-code/how-to-complain and https://www.nrla.org.uk/about-us/code-of-practice.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Iraq and Syria: Internally Displaced People and Refugees

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of bombings carried out on 1 February in (1) Iraq, and (2) Northern Syria, which targeted refugee and Internally Displaced People camps, resulting in (a) multiple casualties, and (b) destruction.

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans theyhave to investigate who is responsible for reported attacks against refugee and Internally Displaced Persons camps in (1) Northern Syria, and (2) Iraq; and what steps they will take to ensure that the perpetrators do not undertake such attacks in future.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of reports of attacks carried out by Turkey in both Northern Iraq and Syria and continue to follow the situation closely. FCDO Ministers and senior officials regularly reiterate the need for dialogue and cooperation between Iraq and Turkey to combat terrorism, ensure regional security, and protect civilians. We welcome recent discussions between Iraqi and Turkish Defence Ministers regarding Ankara's military operations against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. We welcome the fact that the ceasefire in north west Syria agreed by Turkey and Russia in March 2020 is broadly holding. We are concerned by increased violence in recent months, including frequent airstrikes and daily artillery shelling. It is essential that all parties to the conflict respect the ceasefire and allow humanitarian access. We urge all parties to increase their efforts to adhere to it.

Myanmar: Midwives and Nurses

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide (1) financial assistance, and (2) other support, to nurses and midwives in Myanmar.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Protecting access to basic healthcare in Myanmar remains a UK priority, and we are continuing to provide life-saving service delivery. We are working closely with civil society, media and responsible business to help strengthen community resilience.This year the FCDO is providing £49.4 million in aid to Myanmar. 70 percent of this is for health and humanitarian. The UK is providing £11 million for the Covid-19 and broader health response in Myanmar this year, which is now being delivered through the UN, civil society and ethnic health organisations. In addition, we have provided £18 million of humanitarian assistance since the coup to meet the needs of vulnerable communities.We are building partnerships between UK health institutions and Myanmar's doctors and nurses, to help address the health workforce crisis following the coup. We are supporting Royal Colleagues and Cambridge Global Health to ensure Myanmar's doctors and nurses have access to web-based learning materials, helping medical professionals adapt to an innovative service delivery approach in light of the coup.

Turkey: Ukraine

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what communications the Prime Minister had with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey after the Prime Minister’s visit to Kyiv on 1 February and before President Erdogan’s meeting with President Volodymry Zelenskiy of Ukraine on 3 February.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Prime Minister spoke to President Erdoğan most recently on 14 January, when they discussed the situation on the Ukrainian border and emphasised NATO's collective resolve to avoid further escalation.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Russian Language

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office employees have some level of Russian language ability; how many of those have reached C1 Operational level as defined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR C1) or above; and how have these numbers changed since December 2017.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Almost 60 members of staff of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office currently have valid exam passes in Russian at C1 level. Exam passes are valid for five years. In December 2017, that figure was below 50. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not routinely collect data on language skills below C1 level.

Myanmar: Humanitarian Aid

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to investigate means of providing (1) in-country, and (2) cross-border, humanitarian assistance to Myanmar's border states.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Meeting humanitarian needs and supporting the resilience of the most vulnerable remains our priority. We continue to provide humanitarian assistance through International Non-Governmental Organisations, the UN, Red Cross and civil society organisations to those affected by conflict and natural disasters including with food, water, hygiene and sanitation services, shelter, medical equipment, and protection for the most vulnerable especially in displacement camps.Since the coup the FCDO has provided £49.4 million in aid to Myanmar. The UK has pledged a further $100k in Technical Assistance to support the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Centre in its response to the crisis in Myanmar and to support regional stability. In response to recent developments, the UK is working through partners to deliver humanitarian assistance in border regions including Chin, Karen and Kayah. As the situation unfolds, we will continue to consider all options to ensure that humanitarian aid can be delivered to those that need it.

Jerusalem: Housing

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the spokespersons of the Foreign Ministries of France, Germany, Italy and Spain on 19 January, which urged the Israeli authorities to reverse the decision to build hundreds of new housing units in East Jerusalem, on the basis that such construction would “further disconnect the West Bank from East Jerusalem and constitute an additional obstacle to the two-state solution”.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I refer the noble Lord to my [Lord Ahmad] reply to their question HL5391 on 27 January. The UK's position on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law. The former Minister for the Middle East, North Africa and North America, James Cleverly, raised UK opposition to settlement expansion with the Government of Israel on 9 November.

Myanmar: Coronavirus

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have tosupply COVID-19 vaccines into Myanmar through civil society organisations based near the borders of that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are deeply concerned about the impact of Covid on Myanmar's population. The UK has adapted our aid programmes to deliver an immediate response and longer-term recovery to boost resilience.The UK is providing £11 million for the Covid-19 and broader health response in Myanmar this year, which is now being delivered through the UN, civil society and ethnic health organisations. The UK-funded COVAX facility, administered by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI) partnership, has allocated 22.2 million Covid doses to Myanmar. We are working with GAVI to ensure that the people of Myanmar have access to the allocation of Covid-19 vaccinations through COVAX.We are working closely with other donors, including other civil society organisations, to find equitable, safe and unhindered delivery of Covid vaccines.

China: Saudi Arabia

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the government of China is providing assistance to the government of Saudi Arabia in building a ballistic missile programme; and what steps they are taking, including with international partners, to prevent an escalating arms race in the Middle East.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is monitoring international developments in missile technology. We will continue to push for all countries to act responsibly in the international system. The UK engages regularly with Chinese officials on arms control issues, including through our annual dialogue on Counter Proliferation and discussions with the Chinese Arms Control and Disarmament Association. We continue these discussions with China through the P5 Process.

Ministry of Defence

HMS Daring: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Power Improvement Project conversion work has commenced on HMS Daring.

Baroness Goldie: HMS DARING is currently at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, with conversion work to be carried out during 2022.

Type 45 Destroyers: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Power Improvement Project for HMS Dauntless has taken 21 months so far, instead of the planned six to eight months.

Baroness Goldie: HMS DAUNTLESS is the first of class to undergo Power Improvement Project (PIP) conversion. The next phase of the programme will see HMS DAUNTLESS undertake a rigorous harbour trials programme, before returning to sea later this year for sea trials. The PIP conversion is a complex engineering project and delivering it against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic has been a significant challenge which has impacted the schedule. The lessons learned from the first of class PIP conversion will be applied to subsequent ships, whilst taking into account that the programme is balanced against the Royal Navy's standing and future operational commitments. It is planned that all six Type 45 ships will have received the PIP conversion by 2028.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Countryside: Conduct

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Countryside Code.

Lord Benyon: Natural England recently updated the Countryside Code, following significant stakeholder engagement. It comprises a version aimed at visitors to the countryside (updated in April 2021) and a version aimed at land managers with public access on their land (launched in February 2022). Monitoring and evaluating the impact and effectiveness of the updated Countryside Code has been, and will continue to be, undertaken in several ways. Natural England has included two questions relating to the Countryside Code in the People and Nature Survey for England since April 2021. This online panel survey, which has Official Statistics status, gathers evidence and trend data through relating to people’s enjoyment, access, understanding of and attitudes to the natural environment, and its contributions to wellbeing. One of these questions collects data on participants’ reported behaviours when visiting the countryside, corresponding to the behaviours included in the Countryside Code. The other question collects data on the extent to which participants have heard of the Countryside Code and follow it. Data is currently available for the period April to December 2021, which includes responses from a nationally representative sample of 18,747 adults in England (see attachment, 'PANS Monthly Countryside Code data for December 2021'). A detailed analysis of this data will be carried out at the end of a full year’s data collection, during 2022/23. In addition, Natural England recently delivered two small-scale stakeholder surveys focused on the Countryside Code:In an online survey of 3,801 stakeholders carried out in winter 2020/21, participants shared their opinions about the effectiveness of the Countryside Code, current levels of public awareness about it and official efforts to improve this. They also provided information about their personal level of engagement and familiarity with the Countryside Code, including the extent to which they have used and promoted it. The results of this survey, in addition to Natural England’s response to the headline findings, have been published (see attachment, NERR095 2021 ‘The Countryside Code: Stakeholder Survey. A summary of findings’). These results informed work to update the Countryside Code.Natural England delivered another online survey in autumn 2021, aimed at land managers, which received 613 responses. This survey collected data on the opinions and awareness of land managers in relation to the Countryside Code, in addition to direct experiences of undesirable visitor behaviours on the land they manage and self-reported behaviours relevant to managing public access on their land in line with the Countryside Code. The results will be published in spring 2022. Natural England will use the results from these surveys as a baseline and will run further stakeholder surveys on an annual basis to track change in awareness and utilisation of the Countryside Code, and the impact of the Code on reported behaviours. Natural England has also delivered internal evaluations of the impact of communication campaigns launched to promote the updated versions of the Countryside Code. Natural England will commission a more complete evaluation of the effectiveness of the Countryside Code, and recent initiatives to promote it, during 2022/23.People and Nature Survey Dec 2021 (pdf, 944.8KB)Countryside Code evidence summary (pdf, 1400.0KB)

Plastics: Waste

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to deal with the problems caused by waste plastic silage wrap.

Lord Benyon: Defra is working to reduce plastic waste across all sectors – including farming. With 68% of land in England dedicated to agriculture, we recognise that responsible management of farm plastic waste is essential to protect the wider environment. Working with the Environment Agency, we are researching ways to drive recycling of agricultural plastics, and better support industry-led recycling initiatives, and expect to publish a report in due course.

Pigmeat

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on pig production of the shortage of butchers; what assessment they have made of the implications of the shortage on animal welfare; and what steps they intend to take to alleviate this situation.

Lord Benyon: We continue to monitor the evolving situation and to work closely with the pig industry to help them respond to challenges caused by the pandemic, including the loss of exports to the Chinese market for certain pig processors, disruption to CO2 supplies, and a temporary shortage of labour in the processing sector. This has led to a growing backlog of pigs on farms, which can pose challenges to animal welfare. We have provided a package of measures to help address these unique circumstances, which includes temporary work visas for up to 800 pork butchers, and Private Storage Aid (PSA) and Slaughter Incentive Payment (SIP) schemes to facilitate an increase in the throughput of pigs through abattoirs. Together with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and other Government Departments, we are working to both expand existing markets and to identify new export markets for pork, particularly lightly processed pork. We are also working with industry to support their efforts on the recruitment and retention of domestic workers. On 10 February, the Farming Minister Victoria Prentis chaired a roundtable with pig industry representatives from across the UK to discuss the challenges that the sector has been facing in recent months. We are launching a UK-wide review of supply chain fairness in the pig sector. We will be engaging with industry on this straight away, with a consultation expected later this year. We want to elicit industry views on improvements to fairness and transparency that could be made to ensure a profitable and productive future. We have also introduced additional flexibility to the SIP scheme to further encourage uptake and reduce the backlog. This will remove all restrictions on the end destination of products killed during SIP shifts from 18 February. It is the responsibility of the registered keeper or owner to ensure the health and welfare of the animals in their care and to apply and adjust contingency plans, in response to a changing situation. Contingency plans may involve movement of animals to another holding, or on-farm culling of animals that are suffering, or at imminent risk of suffering, adverse welfare impacts. Farms have contingency plans to deal with short-term disruptions. In some cases, this has resulted in animals being culled on-farm to prevent animal welfare issues or to address issues that have arisen. While the shortage of butchers has reduced the opportunity for processors to butcher meat, particularly for the domestic retail market, it has not impacted the number of pigs slaughtered. Defra records show that the number of pigs slaughtered throughout 2021 was higher than the 5-year average. GB Pig slaughter numbers were up by 0.2 million to 11.4 million pigs in January-November 2021, compared to the same period 2020. Slaughter numbers were also 0.3m or 3% higher than the 2018-20 average.

Pheasants: Import Controls

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what extra controls they have placed on the (1) import, and (2) release, of pheasants in light of the high levels of avian flu in Europe; and what assessment they have made of the impact on pheasant releases on the (a) prevalence, and (b) spread, of the disease in the UK.

Lord Benyon: Poultry and poultry products, which include chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, pigeon (bred for meat), partridge, quail, guinea fowl and pheasants, cannot be imported into the UK from within avian influenza disease control zones in European Union (EU) Member States. With regards to imports from non-EU Third Countries, the UK trade rules approve only a very limited number of countries outside the EU for import into the UK. All live poultry and poultry related products must be certified as disease free and therefore suitable for trade. Effective animal disease control is one of Defra’s key priorities and all disease control and prevention measures including those applied to game birds are made on the basis of risk assessments containing the latest scientific and ornithological evidence and veterinary advice. Kept game birds cannot be moved on or off a premises in a disease control zone except under licence and the release of game birds is not permitted within any avian influenza disease control zone. Outside of disease control zones, game birds can be released into the wild, and game birds that have already been released are classified as wild birds and the person who released the game birds is no longer classed as the ‘keeper’ of the birds. Defra works closely with the Game Farmers Association and other game shooting, research and game conservation bodies to provide advice on how game farmers can maintain good biosecurity at their premises and reduce the risk of the spread of avian influenza. In addition, in order to inform risk assessments and understand how avian influenza is distributed geographically and in different types of bird, including released game birds, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) engages in year-round avian influenza surveillance of dead wild birds in Great Britain submitted via public reports and warden patrols. Findings from this surveillance have included pheasants during the 2020/2021 outbreak and the risk of incursion of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 in wild birds is currently assessed as very high (with low uncertainty) for England and high (with high uncertainty) for Wales and Scotland. With regards to game bird releases, these are completed in earlier autumn typically prior to the high-risk period for avian influenza. The risk associated with gamebird activities which occur during the higher risk period for avian influenza, including shooting and gathering up of gamebirds (which occur overwinter and in the spring respectively) have been assessed by APHA and are used to inform decisions regarding control measures. The risk assessments are published and available on GOV.UK. Contact either directly or indirectly with infected wild birds is the principal route of spread of avian influenza and the risk of poultry exposure to HPAI H5 across Great Britain is currently assessed as medium (with low uncertainty) where good biosecurity is applied, but high (with low uncertainty) where there are substantial biosecurity breaches or poor biosecurity. If, however, stringent biosecurity is in place the risk would be low for these premises.

Recycling

Lord Redesdale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of (1) the speed with which the Environment Agency considers permits for recycling plants, and (2) the extent to which the Environment Agency consents to permits in time for projects to proceed.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Environmental permitting regulations specify statutory timescales for the Environment Agency (EA) to consider permit applications and the EA also has its own performance measures and is subject to corporate reporting. The EA communicates with operators through sector bodies and on individual applications about its timescales to enable them to make their applications in time for projects to proceed. The EA also provides an enhanced pre-application service to applicants which helps improve application quality and applicants’ understanding about the time it will take to obtain a decision. The EA also works with applicants to consider prioritising applications that are time-sensitive or critical. Environmental permits are often one of a number of permissions and measures that an operator will need in place prior to commencing a project. To fulfil the EA’s statutory duties, it must be satisfied that the risk to the environment and communities from proposed activities is minimised and managed. Activities that are higher in risk, complex, or novel take longer to determine.

Batteries: Recycling

Lord Redesdale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the reasons for the delay in the assessment by the Environment Agency of the Fenix alkaline battery recycling plant waste permit application at Willenhall.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Environment Agency's (EA) National Permitting Service is dealing with the application from Fenix Recycling Ltd as a priority.This application is for the recovery and disposal of hazardous waste and this type of facility and activity has the potential to cause significant harm to the environment and local community. The site is near residential properties and the applicant's submissions so far do not include enough information to satisfy the EA potential risks are understood and will be minimised.The application was submitted on 15 February 2021 and allocated for assessment on 21 April 2021. The application did not contain enough information and the EA was only able to begin assessing the application on 27 May 2021 once additional necessary information was received from the applicant. A public consultation was held from 29 June to 19 August 2021.The EA's assessment and the public consultation responses raised concerns about the operator's approach to specific risks that were not addressed by the information provided in support of the application. The EA requested more information from the applicant on 17 December 2021 to address this and is still awaiting their response.

Home Office

Hate Crime

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the most recent statistics available for hate crime, broken down by category; and what were the statistics for the previous three periods for which figures are available.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office collects and publishes statistics annually on the number of hate crime offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, broken down by monitored strand, in the ‘Hate Crime, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin. The latest available data, covering the period 2011/12 (when the data collection began) to 2020/21, can be found in ‘Table 2’ of the data tables, available attached.Table 2 (xlsx, 21.8KB)

Slavery: Convictions

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) brothels, (2) nail bars, (3) car washes, and (4) cannabis farms, closed following (a) arrests, and (b) convictions, arising from modern slavery in 2020; and how many convictions have been obtained since then.

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether recent convictions for offences connected with modern forms of slavery in the UK have produced information for the prevention of such wrong-doing both (1) at home, and (2) overseas.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office does not hold case-specific data, such as business closures, for modern slavery offences. Criminal justice statistics, including outcomes for modern slavery offences, are published quarterly by the Ministry of Justice and are available on Gov.uk.The Government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and bringing the individuals responsible to justice. Since its introduction, the Modern Slavery Act 2015 has given law enforcement agencies the tools and powers to tackle modern slavery, including a maximum life sentence for perpetrators. The Government has also provided over £15 million to policing since 2016. This investment has resulted in an increase in live police operations, from 188 in December 2016 to 4,114 in December 2021, and led to an increase in the number of prosecutions brought and convictions secured.The Government recognises that the UK cannot tackle this crime alone. The UK continues to demonstrate international leadership, driving action towards the long-term ambition of eradicating modern slavery. We work with a range of partners to engage with countries from which the UK receives the highest numbers of victims. The UK’s international efforts to fight slavery are supported by a range of overseas programmes, as well as the Home Office’s £33.5m Modern Slavery Fund which since 2016 has included projects that test innovative approaches to build the evidence base on what works.Preventing vulnerable people being drawn into slavery is one of the most effective ways of tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery. The UK Government is committed to preventing modern slavery and works with a range of partners to deliver effective prevention activity both in the UK and upstream. In October 2021, the Home Office launched the Modern Slavery Prevention Fund, to fund organisations to deliver targeted prevention interventions and build up the evidence base on what interventions are most effective.The Government recognises there is yet more we can do to tackle this crime and bring offenders to justice. The Government is currently reviewing its Modern Slavery Strategy and will build on our learning and progress over the past eight years to strengthen our approach.

Independent Office for Police Conduct

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 2 February (HL Deb col 898), what actions the Independent Office for Police Conduct have taken in response to remarks made by the Home Secretary on 15 June 2021 (HC Deb col 128), where she stated that "profound concerns existabout the handling of the IOPC’s investigation into Operation Midland".

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The IOPC’s Director General set out its own response to criticisms of its handling of the investigation into Operation Midland in his letter to Sir Richard Henriques of 31 March 2021. The letter is available on the gov.uk website. The IOPC publishes further information on its performance and plans on its website. As noted in the debate on 2 February (HL Deb col 898), a review of the IOPC by an independent reviewer (as announced by the Home Secretary on 15 June 2021) is due to start this year. This will consider the organisation’s effectiveness and efficiency, including its decision-making processes.

Northern Ireland Office

Cultural Heritage: Northern Ireland

Lord Rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to legislate to introduce a commissioner to "enhance and develop thelanguage, arts and literature associated with the Ulster Scots/Ulster British tradition" in Northern Ireland, as set out in theNew Decade, New Approach agreement, published on 9 January 2020.

Lord Caine: The Government remains committed to the introduction of legislation for the package of identity and language measures as set out in New Decade, New Approach. The legislation will faithfully deliver what was contained in that document.